We generally always see a few cases of one or two size classes out about 2-3 months before retail saturation. In this case, I think the leader and deluxes would be likeliest to turn up first. Siege, Power of the Primes, and Titans Return all leaked out around Christmas despite later official dates, muscling out final waves of the prior lines.
The one thing I absolutely hated with the last lines (POTP and CW) was that the teams were split across multiple waves, making everyone wait until the next wave or two before we'd manage to get the full set. With the last waves of Siege that appears to be very slowly trickling, it's hard to say... but having the first wave of ER hit before Christmas would be great.... expensive as hell, but great. (but would be hoping for sales due to the holiday season)
Arguably the task he is best known for... Transporting other Decepticons. Looking forward to him too.
The first two deluxe waves in CW (Aeirialbots & Stunticons) swapped a member, but following waves had complete groups. They did return to splitting characters up in PotP though.
I still don’t understand why Hasbro bows down to Walmart so much. Walmart’s toy selection sucks all the time. If Walmart threatens to not carry Hasbro products, what are they going to sell? Cheap knockoffs? There is no way they would stop carrying Star Wars, Transformers, Nerf, Power Rangers, Parker Brothers etc. Hasbro should call their bluff.
I can say with utmost certainty, as someone that works for a company that supplies Walmart, that they do NOT bluff. They literally have vendors lined up around the corner should a current one not meet their demands.
Like I said, how would they replace all of Hasbro’s brands? Their toy section would be shit without Star Wars, Parker Brothers, Nerf, Transformers etc.
Another company would fill the gap? Are you kidding? Losing Hasbro would take out TransFormers, Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Disney Princess, Tonka trucks, Nerf, and 90% of the board game aisle between Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley. Yes, Walmart as a store would survive, but they wouldn't recover the sales. This isn't replacing a dying GI Joe with The Corps, it's trying to replace half the department. Hasbro's bargaining position is a little stronger than people think, assuming they haven't been causing their own supply chain problems all along. All they have to do is cozy up to Amazon and put the fear of Bezos into Walmart.
But Walmart doesn't need to sell toys to be successful. They carry thousands of other brands that the loss, while significant, would be something they could overcome. The company I work for is hugely successful in supplying for Walmart and we still have to bow down to their demands. They come out with a list of requirements for how much they will pay per pound, and how much you will supply. They will bargain slightly, but it's barely a penny on the dollar (more often than not it's around $.005/lb). When I see the financials I often wonder how we make any money producing for them. Producing/supplying for Walmart, for many companies, is a feather in the cap. It gives leverage towards dealing with smaller companies to say you produce for Walmart because to do so says you're doing something right. Back on topic, I was at the local Walmart last night and saw no less than six pallets of toys in the toy department. They are seriously gearing up, but alas, the only Transformer case I saw was movie Voyagers.
They're dropping pallets at my local Walmarts frequently too but it's never ever Hasbro products on them. Every company uses those generic shippers with the pink blocks that say "TOYS." Astrotrain's going to be a February release in the capitol region. I just saved myself the aggravation and preordered the Takara when it went up.
It's their order count, they give Hasbro a shit ton or orders/money. Regardless of how much we hate how Walmart operates, they have enough money to have clout over Hasbro.
Yup, plus let's keep in mind that target is helping the new TRU get their internet site up and running, so eventually they will become a source again for Hasbro sales.
Yeah, having used Target's website, I don't see them being that big of a help beyond the immediate short-term of just getting the site up. The second page of a search for "transformers" shows Lego race cars, a 5POA Hulk, Fisher Price ImagiNext Batman, NECA's TMNT, Marvel Legends Beta Ray Bill, a Sailor Moon necklace, and Netflix monster vinyl statues. The third page goes on to show Ben 10, more Lego sets, Mega Bloks, and some weird connectable rods. My recommended items list shows TransFormers that do not show up in that search. TRU's poor search engine hurt them the last time around and this doesn't seem like a step up.
Are these showing up at Target as well? I've seen a few Ultra Magnus figures at Target again recently.
